SAFE HAVEN

Economic Development Minister Guy Joseph confirmed that St. Lucia has one of the most rigorous vetting processes for screening persons who want to invest in St. Lucia.

The minister made the comments following the closure of the BLU Hotel and news reports alleging that the head of the Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP) has multiple criminal convictions, including a five-year jail sentence for hostage-taking, extortion and attempted fraud in 1996.

According to the guardian.com, In 2009 the man was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison for seven cases of fraud. In one incident he is accused of kidnapping two men and threatening to cut their fingers off unless paid a large sum of money.

Coincidentally, the ACTP has reached agreements with the governments of Saint Lucia, St. Vincent, Dominica, Brazil and Australia to import parrots and is also involved in the redevelopment of St. Lucia’s Zoo located in Union.

Minister Guy Joseph insists however that St. Lucia has one of the most rigorous vetting processes for investors.

Guy Joseph – Minister for Economic Development

Meanwhile Agriculture Minister Ezechiel Joseph has confirmed that the German national who is funding the zoo project has encountered personal difficulties which have caused the opening of the project to be delayed.

While the man has been accused of selling exotic parrots on the black market, Minister Joseph says that St. Lucian parrots were never exported.

Ezechiel Joseph – Minister for Agriculture

Despite the allegations against the German investor, the Agriculture Minister confirmed he was properly vetted

Ezechiel Joseph – Minister for Agriculture

Since its establishment in 2006, ACTP has positioned itself as an organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of endangered parrots and their habitats.

Its primary activity appears to be breeding captive parrots in Germany as safety populations in the event of a sharp decline in a species in the wild.

This approach has put it at odds with scientists and bird experts who advocate conservation measures that keep species in their native habitats.